


The Babysitter

by Jaybirds_Night



Series: The Harper-Todd Home [6]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics)
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Selina becomes a babysitter, Selina’s take on the kids, mentions of abandonment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 21:09:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13819491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaybirds_Night/pseuds/Jaybirds_Night
Summary: The Harper-Todd’s need a babysitter. Jason might have just found the perfect thief for the job.





	The Babysitter

Jason and Roy were pretty desperate to get away from the kids for the weekend, or at least a night. The only problem was getting someone they trusted, that being a very _very_ small list of names, to agree to watch the three little monsters.

  
"It's not like we can just hire a regular old babysitter, Jaybird," Roy said after getting the kids ready for bed.

  
Jason sighed as he suited up for his night of patrol, choosing to wear his domino mask instead of his usual helmet. Roy had a point. The kids knew about their secret identities and though they trusted them to keep tight lipped about it they still couldn't risk one of the younger ones, i.e Sasha or Lian, making a slip up.   
Then there was the fact that they essentially lived in an abandoned building – the inside having since been renovated – on the edge of Crime Alley.   
"I know, I just—I'll try to think of something while I'm out." Giving Roy a quick kiss Jason made his way to the kid’s room.

  
Passing through the doorway Jason wasn't at all surprised to see Tim sitting on his bed against the wall, laptop resting in front of his crisscrossed legs. In the middle, Sasha bounced a bit as she greeted him with a tired smile that was no less bright than usual.   
"Are you going out?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. Jason hummed, gently tucking a strand of Sasha’s wild red hair behind her ear.

  
"I am, but remember that I'll always be here when you wake up. Okay, little red?" Sasha opened her mouth in protest only to be cut off by a yawn. "Get some sleep, kiddo. You'll need it if you don't want Lian beating you at Memory again, alright?"

  
Sasha eased herself back down, letting out a soft sigh as Jason kissed the scar on her forehead, eyes fluttering close.   
Carefully getting up, Jason tip-toed over to Lian's bedside, the little girl already fast asleep. "G'night, princess," he whispered above her ear and planted a kiss at her hairline.

  
Now he made his way to his final stop. Tim had already slipped the laptop under the bed and was snuggled beneath his covers, waiting patiently.

  
"Be sure to actually sleep tonight, Timmers," Jason smirked as he ruffled the boy's hair. Tim frowned, but Jason had enough experience to tell it was fake.

  
"Stay safe and please, try to be careful," Tim said.

  
"I'll try my best." Tim gave him a pointed looked. "I'll be careful, Tim. Promise."   
Jason bent over to kiss his hairline, catching the small twitch of Tim's lips as he left.   
  
Opening the hatch to the roof Jason pulled out his grappling gun and started out over the rooftops. He knew the Bat's patrol routes, even more so thanks to Tim hacking the Bat's comms. How the kid managed to do that was beyond him. Although, if he had to guess, it was probably because Oracle was currently taking a break from Bruce's shit.   
As he moved above the dark alleyways a flicker of movement caught his eye. He froze, hands immediately reaching for his pistols.   
"Now Jason, there's no need for that," a familiar voice purred.

  
Jason stared into the darkness, "What do you want, Selina?"   
Said woman slinked out from the depths of shadows. "Whoever said I wanted something," the thief said with a hint of a smirk. She was wearing her signature black cat suit, orange tinted goggles pulled up to rest on her forehead. 

Jason crossed his arms over his chest. "Why else would you be out this far?" 

"Would you believe me if I said I was out for a late night stroll?"

  
"As if. Now tell me. Why. Are. You. Here," he growled, gloves creaking under the pressure of clenched fists.

  
Selina put her hands on her hips and huffed, unfazed by Jason's sudden bout of rage. "Fine then. I'm here because I wanted to check up on you. No one’s seen you patrolling as much lately and I didn't know if it had anything to do with Bruce—not that I'm taking his side after what happened..." She bit her lip, knowing it was best to leave that part unsaid. Jason still tensed and her gaze fell to her feet. "Ever since Arsenal came to Gotham, he's been acting a bit like a kid who was told he had to share and is throwing a hissy fit. Especially with how he's been seen working with you and all. I..." She rested a hand on his shoulder, looking up at Jason with sad eyes. "You've been through so much. Things no one should ever have to go through. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, kitten."

  
"When did you become all mama cat?" Jason teased halfheartedly.

  
Selina reached up to caress his face, "ever since you became a little bird." 

Jason felt his heart speed up and his throat tighten as he tried to speak. "I... dammit."

  
Selina's lips quirked, "You don't need to say anything, Jason. Just know that I care about you and that I will always be looking out for you. No matter what." She stretched up, kissing his forehead before disappearing back into shadows. 

Jason stood alone on the quiet rooftop for what felt like hours, trying to make sense of what Selina had said. Did she really care about him that much? Even when he had been fighting against her? The more he thought about it the more he realized how protective she was of him (especially when he was Robin). The way she'd swoop down from god knows where when he bit off more than he could chew. The late nights she'd help patch him up when he didn't want Bruce knowing he got hurt. Or when he was lonely during a slow patrol she'd sit with him on a rooftop and just talk. With all that in mind he'd say that she'd been more of a parent to him than Bruce ever was.   
"Ah fuck it!" He muttered under his breath. "I better not regret this later."   
Before heading back to the safe house Jason left a quick note on a rooftop, knowing Selina would find it. He smiled to himself as he wondered what Roy would think of a babysitter with a rap sheet; not that they were ones to judge.   
  
Once she was sure Jason had gone Selina slipped out from her hiding spot to grab the note.   
_Roy and I have found ourselves in a bit of a pinch and since you obviously want to help out I wouldn't be opposed to offering you a job as our babysitter. Meet us on our roof this Saturday.  
(I'm sure you've been stalking me so I don't see the point of writing down the address)   
P.S.   
I might have forgotten to mention that we adopted a few kids ;) _  
  
A grin found its way onto her lips as she pocketed the note. _I think I'm going to like this job,_ she thought, leaping off the rooftop toward her apartment.

 

  
  
In no time Selina found herself spending more time at the safe house than her own home. She had never pictured herself as a nanny, but she wouldn't deny loving it. Maybe even more than being a thief and that there was a scary thought.   
Lian and Sasha were the sweetest things and both enjoyed playing with the cats she sometimes brought along. Between the two girls, however, Sasha had definitely made the biggest impression on her by far.

  
The Saturday she'd met them on the rooftop Roy had told her about how Jason found Sasha. How she and her father were kidnapped, tortured and that she was the only one who made it out alive and with her sanity still intact. The seven-year-old was unbelievably brave, even though she was plagued by nightmares. Whenever she'd wake from them Selina would hold her tight and tell her stories of heroes battling the demons that haunted her dreams. She would then tell her fathers if she had had a nightmare while they were gone, though recently Sasha seemed to have gotten a lot better.

  
Tim was another story. The kid, normally very shy and closed off, instantly took to her. Jason would joke about him becoming her future protégé and Selina couldn't help wishing for it. Tim was her little kitten, just like Jason had been when he was that age.   
She was glad to hear that Bruce never got the chance to mess up another innocent child. Tim would at least get a shot at living a somewhat normal life with affectionate parents in comparison to Bruce's soldier-general type relationship. She'd once believed the man to have a caring side hidden beneath his seemingly emotionless façade, that had all been wiped clean when he let that monster walk away with Jason's blood on his hands. With all that fucking clown had done to him in the past he wouldn't allow himself to kill the bastard who was the poison of their ruined city. Even after he went as far as to torture and murder Jason, his—no, her son. All he was to her now was petty coward hiding behind a mask. Him and that twisted game he insisted on playing.   
Thank god, he wasn't able to stop Jason from taking it into his own hands and finally putting an end to the Joker. A day still being celebrated by the people of Gotham almost five years later as much as they were attempting to brush the villain's existence under the rug.   
  
She's there the night Jason and Roy come home with Stephanie. The poor child soaked to the bone, shivering in Roy's arms. It had taken her a moment, but she soon recognized the girl as Cluemaster's daughter. Selina had never liked the man and was secretly relieved to hear that he was behind bars as she rushed off to grab towels.   
The other children watched from the open doorway, Jason having told them to keep out. Selina sent them a reassuring glance from her spot on the sofa, the blonde-haired girl huddled beside her. 

"Do you want help drying off? I don't want you to get sick, sweetie." She kept her voice quiet, not wanting to scare her. Stephanie peered up at her from behind long lashes and gave a small nod. With her consent, Selina began running the towel through her dripping wet hair, gently squeezing to soak up the water.   
As she finished drying Stephanie the best she could, Roy appeared with a fresh pair of pajamas, which Selina assumed to be Sasha's, followed by Jason holding a mug of hot coco.

  
A few minutes later, once they had gotten her changed, Tim hesitantly stood in the center of the open doorway, a fluffy purple blanket in his arms. Selina smiled as she waved him in to enter.   
Tim fidgeted, quickly making his way over to Stephanie. Selina bit her lip to keep herself from smiling as Tim held the blanket out to the younger girl, head dipped to avoid her gaze.   
Wide blue eyes stared at Tim and the deep purple of the blanket before taking it from him. Selina felt a pang of sadness when she noticed how Stephanie held it firm against her chest, as if expecting it to be torn from her grasp. "T-thank you," Stephanie stuttered, but Tim had already bolted from the room by the time the words fell from her chapped lips.   
Selina stayed the rest of the night, helping them care for Steph. A few days later, she wasn't surprised to hear that the little girl would be staying for good.   
  
Later that year, toward the beginning of Summer, Selina had heard a rumor from Bru- Batman that members of the League of Assassins were in town. However, what she didn't expect was their reason for being there would be to drop off two children at her workplace.   
She could care less, though. Damian was a riot. The two-year-old, having since been dubbed "Demon brat" by Jason, could already speak in what was almost full-length sentences. She had never seen, nor heard of any kid being able to do that at his age.   
Cassandra, on the other hand, was learning to talk at the age of twelve. Roy had told her that she practices with a friend of his who Cass is rather fond of. Still, Selina couldn't help feeling bad about the girls situation.   
As she had gotten to know her more, the thief was quick to learn that Cass didn't like to be alone, tending to follow her around like a lost kitten at times, not that she minded. It was actually quite adorable.   
Eventually Cass would join her and Tim's newly formed training sessions, impressing the both of them with how flexible she was.

With the child count being at six at that point, Selina needed help. And that help came in the form of one Pamela Isley, otherwise known on the streets as Poison Ivy.   
When she had brought it up to Jason and Roy they, shockingly, agreed.   
"We hired you so I don't see the problem with havin' another 'sitter with a criminal record," Jason had said nonchalantly. "And I know from experience that she doesn’t hurt children."   
Roy assured her that he too trusted Ivy and that there was no doubt the kids would like her.  
  
The following year on a chilly Autumn night, Harper arrived in a depressed and grief-stricken state. She was over there almost every night while the two vigilantes went off on a manhunt, searching for the ones responsible in the death of Harper's younger brother.   
It took a while for her to finally open up, but when she did they couldn't be any happier with the results. Harper turned out to be a punkish, sarcastic fourteen-year-old, who—to Roy's delight—had a growing interest in mechanics. Not only did the kids take an immediate liking to her, she also became a sort-of leader among them; helping Selina keep the kids in line during the long restless nights when their fathers were away and Ivy wasn't around.   
  
Gotham's harsh winters brought freezing winds, icy rooftops, and layers upon layers of snow upon the grim city. That year, however, brought along a girl named Helena. She had first caught word of said girl from Jason, feeling a twinge of pride when learning how the little girl had broken in though one of the windows.   
Yet, discovering the reason behind her escapade did that pride morph into one of heartache and anger. Not toward Helena, but her father. The one who had abandoned her in the heart of Gotham's unforgiving winter.  
Despite all that, Helena was surely a force to be reckoned with; something she had soon found out when one of the kids, most likely Damian if she had to guess, spilled water all over the book she had been reading at the time.   
From that day on Selina suggested Helena keep her books in the loft and, if she wanted, join Tim and Cass for training sessions. The kid had a way too much pent up feelings for it to be consider healthy and/or safe.   
  
It had been awhile since any new kids entered their strange mixing pot of a family and Selina was okay with that. She loved her little kittens, even more so when they began calling her 'Aunt Selina'. Then one afternoon she arrived at the safe house to discover a little red-haired boy she didn't recognize playing with Damian.   
When she asked about it Roy had sighed. "Apparently Damian decided to adopt Colin without telling us."   
"Did he use the pouty face?"   
Roy groaned, smushing his face into his palms. "It gets us every damn time! Do you know how fucking hard it is to say no to that face?"   
Selina placed a hand on his shoulder to console him. "Honey, you have no idea."

 


End file.
